After losing cornerback James Bradberry to the New York Giants in free agency, the Panthers have a huge hole to fill in their secondary. As of right now, the only corner on their depth chart who played enough snaps last season to qualify getting a season grade from Pro Football Focus is Donte Jackson, who ranked as the 86th best corner in football last season according to PFF.
Drafting Okudah may not be able to mask all the deficiencies in the Panthers secondary, but inserting him into the lineup will change how offenses can attack Carolina’s defense.
Okudah is a pure shutdown corner, with minimal flaws in his game. The only downfall to his game was that he only recorded three interceptions last season, mostly because no one dared to throw his way.
Okudah recorded a PFF grade of 80.2 when in single man coverage last season, allowing 13 receptions on 36 targets while holding opposing passers to a quarterback rating of 39.2.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 200 pounds, Okudah has prototypical size for an NFL corner. His athletic ability is rare, he figures to fit right into any NFL scheme he’s thrown into. One scout from The Draft Network wrote, “Okudah is scheme-transcendent and matchup-immune, and projects as a high-caliber starter in Year 1 with an All-Pro ceiling during his rookie contract,” when discussing what to expect out of Okudah at the next level.
Sure, the Panthers have several needs entering the draft, and corner is just one of them. It’s completely understandable if the team values someone like Isaiah Simmons over Okudah, especially since Luke Kuechly just retired, but a corners of Okudah’s caliber don’t come around that often.
In a passing league, getting your hands on a premiere corner is invaluable. If Okudah is there at No. 7, the Panthers should not hesitate to draft him.
